Choose a Meter

[Hosanna]

Question about meters: I have 3 meters and have tested myself from my same blood at the same time and all 3 meters showed different readings. One, was 32 difference.
How do we pick a meter? My best meter was showing a reading 32 points below one and 29 below the other.
Another question: On the meters where the strips are stored in a container..... how do you get those things out of there, and separated (because they always seem to stick together) without contaminating them? I have to touch them. Thank you.

 

[Carl & Polly & Bob (GA)]

Try not to touch the part of the strip that goes into the meter, or the end that sips up the blood. With Relion strips, it was easy for me to shake a few out, and separate one from the others just by touching it in the middle of the strip.

You have to just pick one meter and stick with it. Otherwise you'll drive yourself crazy trying to figure out which is the "right" one. The specific numbers are not as important as the trends that the data reveals. In other words, it doesn't matter if the number is 325 or 350 because you're still going to give the same dose of insulin on those numbers.

All three of your meters, assuming they are for testing human BGs, have a degree of variance (which is allowed by the FDA) of up to 20%, so no matter how much they cost, or how much the strips cost, at best you are getting an estimate of what your BG is.

Carl